Dude, where’s my (connected) car?

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A lot of driverless cars have made their way to the silver screen over the years – think Minority Report, Knight Rider, and I, Robot. But in 2017, this type of car is becoming more of a reality. Ok, so not the flying just yet.

Get connected Connectivity is what sets the future of the motor industry apart. Everything could suddenly run on software. All modern cars now have the power of around 20 personal computers, to run GPS, music, voice control etc. With driverless cars in development, there’ll be even more demand on hardware and software performance over time.

In the future a driver could relax in their car, eyes away from the road, and order their food shop from the comfort of their seat. Infotainment will naturally improve too, with games, video and audio experiences advancing. Being ‘connected’ could also improve traffic and collision alerts, speed warnings and reduce accident rates for drivers.

Car hack One of the major concerns with connected cars though is cyber security. Hackers could hack your car remotely, cause a collision, or turn your lights off. Sadly every technological advancement comes with its security flaws.

Software can fail. It can be hijacked and attacked remotely. Your car could be made to make sudden stops, blast the horn, spoof the GPS. Hackers could carry out relatively simple procedures to identify system weaknesses.

The industry must learn from the Google car crash last year, where the car ran a red light and crashed. Rigorous testing and getting white hat hackers involved to blast their systems from every angle is the step forward.